Well Versed Blog

Many decades later the names of Benny Leonard, Abe Atell, Barney Ross, Maxie Rosenbloom, Lew Tender, Ted “Kid” Lewis, Louis “Kid” Kaplan and Benny Bass still evoke greatness. During the “Golden Age of Boxing,” they were the standard bearers of a powerful Jewish presence when winning truly mattered. In an age of undisputed champions and ten weight categories -- including junior-welterweight and junior lightweight, and a limitless supply of top contenders and tough guys -- the Jewish boxer confirmed his status at the top table of boxing.

Yehuda Hyman learned all about his dreamy and displaced mom over a period of years. As a child he was fascinated by her exotic tales. In “Mar Vista,” a non-linear recreation of his childhood in theatre and dance, he is the only child of his parents in a seaside Los Angeles neighborhood with, in their case, no view of the sea.

I’m a painter and printmaker and do installations. I usually create bodies of work based on themes, sometimes Jewish but not always, sometimes they overlap. Almost all the work possesses abstract elements.

Wander the streets of the Lower East Side, and you’ll still find pockets of vibrant Jewish life as well as traces of what once was. These days, the scenery is ever-changing, with new construction, new storefronts, new streetscapes.